The Denver Broncos averted crisis on Monday night by beating the Cincinnati Bengals. With that win, Denver remained at the .500 line. However, their next game is going to be their toughest. Denver's travelling to the raucous Lincoln Field to take on the defending champions Philadelphia Eagles on the road. The Broncos are clear underdogs, especially since the Eagles remain undefeated this season.
Undefeated does not mean infallible, though. Though they are yet to lose, the Eagles have some clear weaknesses that any playoff team can exploit. The Broncos have the tools needed to expose this Achilles heel. What is this weakness that the Broncos need to expose to stay above .500 after Week 5?
Eagles' fatal flaw Broncos must exploit in Week 5 game
In general, the Eagles have been a great team this season. You don't go undefeated by pure luck. That being said… some of their wins have looked unconvincing. Eagles fans are dissatisfied with their wins at times, believing they're much better than what they show on a weekly basis.
The Eagles' offense is under fire recently. In particular, their passing attack has been lackluster: quarterback Jalen Hurts is averaging around 150 passing yards per game, and the passing attack has not looked good. Even their vaunted rushing attack with Saquon Barkley has been neutralized to an extent.
For the Broncos to come away with the win, though, they have to look at the other side of the ball. The Eagles' defense has quietly not been up to par lately. They have given up 333.3 total yards per game, the 10th-worst mark in the league. Their passing defense has been mediocre, at least, but Philly's run defense (126 rush yards allowed per game, 21st in the NFL) has been a bit suspect. That plays exactly into what the Broncos want to do.
With a young Bo Nix under center, the Broncos run the ball more than most teams. They call up running plays 44.6% of the game, the tenth-most in the NFL. They're also successful with these attacks, ranking fifth in the league in rushing yards per game with 143.3. It's a stark contrast from last season, where they had trouble finding success on the ground.
They're also coming off a game where JK Dobbins had one of his best performances. Dobbins had 101 yards on the ground on 16 carries against the Bengals. He found the endzone once during the game. Having an excellent rushing attack will make life that much easier for the Broncos against the Eagles. A successful run game gives the passing attack room to breathe, and gives Nix more options.
Will the Broncos be just as successful this week against the Eagles like they were last week? Dobbins' breakout game this season also came against one of the worst defenses in the league at stopping the run. The Eagles are not good at stopping the run, but they aren't as bad as the Bengals on that side of the ball.
Still, this is the best shot that the Broncos have to defeat the undefeated Eagles in Week 5. Will they be able to use their talented running backs to great success?
